The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has recently published a new website section dedicated to remote working. Guidance and advice is available on all aspects of remote working, in addition to several key resources such as the HSA’s new Working from Home Guidelines. The Government’s National...
Two-week quarry safety blitz underway by Health and Safety Authority A two-week workplace safety blitz on quarries is currently underway by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). The Quarry Safety campaign from 1–12 March will focus on known causes of fatal incidents at quarries, for example...
Limited Provision of Safe Pass Training for Essential Projects SOLAS Safe Pass Training was suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions for the second time January 2021. SOLAS has now been advised that limited resumption of Safe Pass training may take place with immediate effect to meet the needs of...
New Workplace Bullying Code of Practice Approved Minister Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail has approved the publication of a new Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) / Health and Safety Authority (HSA) Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of...
HSA releases Programme of Work for 2021 The HSA has released its Programme of Work for 2021. This is the third and final year for implementation of the HSA’s Strategy Statement for 2019–21.COVD-19, Brexit and Priority Sectors (agriculture, construction and health and social care) are listed among...
The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Michael English, requested that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) review their respective Codes of Practice on bullying in the workplace and to develop...
SOLAS Safe Pass courses suspended SOLAS has instructed all Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) and Safe Pass instructors to temporarily suspend Safe Pass courses. SOLAS's parent department, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has informed SOLAS that Safe Pass courses fall within the Government's most...
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar urges employers to facilitate working from home Sources: independent.ie and rte.ie The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, has urged employers to enable as many workers as possible to stay home because the increase in COVID-19 cases is now "beyond...
Nineteen fatalities on Irish farms reported in 2020 The significant number of fatalities on Irish farms in 2020 as a result of workplace incidents has been highlighted in a New Year’s message to farmers from Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the...
NISO would like to wish all our members a very Happy Christmas and New Year following what has been a difficult and challenging year. We hope that all our members can enjoy the holiday season while staying healthy and safe. It is important that we...
The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, has signed into law new regulations and a Code of Practice to protect workers exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace. The new Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 and...
Legislation Update SI No 539 of 2020 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 These Regulations amend the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations 2013 and give effect to Commission Directive (EU) 2019/1833 of 24 October 2019 (relating to general...
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has today, 20 November 2020, published the new Work Safely Protocol. The Work Safely Protocol is a revision of the Return to Work Safely Protocol published in May 2020. The revised Protocol incorporates the current advice on the Public...
Bullying is cited as grounds for almost 35% of unfair dismissal cases taken to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), with men more likely to be the alleged perpetrator, according to two studies on bullying and ageism carried out by Dublin City University. The research also found...
HSA release its 2019 Annual Report The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has released its Annual Report for 2019. The report outlines all the HSA’s activities during 2019 across its 5 “Strategic Priorities”, namely: 1. Regulate; 2. Promote; 3. Accredit; 4. Influence; 5. How We Work. Here are...
Study finds retail workers serving customers have fivefold risk of COVID-19 Research likely to raise questions over measures to protect retail staff from infection Retail workers serving customers are five times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than their colleagues who do not interact with the...
Ireland moves to Level 5 COVID-19 Restrictions As of midnight on Wednesday 21 October all of Ireland will be placed on Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID. Level 5 restrictions will remain in place for a period of 6 weeks. Please see the following resources: Department...
The European Week for Health and Safety at Work is taking place from 19-23 October 2020. This year’s European Safety Week is raising awareness about the new Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2020-22 on the topic: Healthy Workplaces Lighten the Load. This campaign aims to tackle work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). With hundreds of awareness-raising events taking...
Bill to protect vulnerable workers introduced 7 October 2020 The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Amendment) Bill 2020 was introduced in the Dáil on 7 October with the aim of protecting workers who cannot work from home in settings such as meat plants and care homes....
Tractor Safety Awareness Training Course launch amid the ongoing level of fatal injuries involving farm machinery 29 September 2020 The Minister of State for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (with responsibility for Farm Safety), Martin Heydon T.D. and Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority,...
Construction Safety Week is taking place from 19 to 23 October 2020. 2020 has been a difficult year across most industries. In construction, to add to the normal complexities of managing health and safety issues, there is now the added complication of managing COVID-19. While the...
Documents show government unease at campaign to designate Covid-19 an “occupational illness” 28 September 2020 Article published by TheJournal.ie Ahead of a meeting with unions in July, the government expressed concern that classifying Covid-19 as an “occupational illness” – where incidences in work would have to be reported...
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Construction sector mental health concerns raised in new report 20 August 2020 A new report has revealed that almost a quarter of construction firms have had an employee absent due to mental health issues. Work-related stresses, unrealistic targets and long hours are being cited by employers as the...
The dean of Harvard’s school of public health has called on firms to put public health professionals on their boards and in their top executive ranks to manage a pandemic threat that could hang over businesses for years. “I think what COVID does is lay bare just how essential it...
Safety advice from Teagasc ahead of upcoming busy time for many farmers and contractors who will be emptying slurry tanks before the 15 October deadline. 16 August 2020 Over the next few weeks many farmers and contractors will be busy emptying slurry tanks before the October...
HSA launches two Return to Work Safely courses 29 July 2020 The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has launched two online Return to Work courses. These new courses, the Return to Work Safely Induction and Lead Worker Representative, have been developed to help give employers and...
Lower income essential workers at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 28 July 2020 A new report published on 28 July 2020 by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has found that low income frontline workers, considered to be essential to the economic and social health...
Department of Health issues new posters relating to face masks 23 July 2020 Three updated posters relating to face masks now available from the Department of Health website: One specifying mandatory on public transport One specifying that they are strongly advised in shops, and One catch-all...
Mental Health First Aid Ireland survey shines a light on the impact of working from home on Irish workers 22 July 2020 A recent survey of just under 1,200 people who were working from home during May and June 2020 has raised concerns over the negative impact...
It's Time To Take Safety Seriously - Farm Safety Week 2020 Monday, 20 July 2020 Today (Monday, 20 July 2020) is the start of Farm Safety Week 2020. This annual campaign, now in its eight year, aims to raise farm safety awareness and to bring about a change...
COVID-19 safety measures taken by NISO As a limited number of health and safety training courses have resumed in the NISO Training Centre, NISO has put the following safety measures into place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to keep our learners and staff...
Health and Safety Authority (HSA) launches inspection campaign to highlight need for increased safety awareness on farms 10 July 2020 The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is undertaking a two-week inspection campaign to highlight on-going safety issues on farms. Starting on Monday 13 July, inspectors will visit farms...